Aerial ship.



F. BOLLHORN. AERIAL SHIP. APPLIUATIOH FILED mm: 27, 1901.

904,930. Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

UNITED s'rirras FRANZ BOLLHORN, Oi VEDDEL, NEAR, llAlVlllURti, (ililtll A N 1'.

AERIAL SHIP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Nov. 24, 1908.

Application filed June 27, 1907. Serial No. 381,146.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANZ 'Bouinoim, a subject of the King of Prussia, and resident of No. 14 Am Bahndamm, V'eddel, near Hamburg, in the Empire of Germany, master mariner, have invented a new and useful Aerial Ship, of which the following a specification.

The present invention relates to an improved aerial ship, which is primarily destined for military purposes but which may also be employed tor transport, sport and recreation.

Special objects of the invention are to sim plif and cheapen the construction, and to ren or more efficient, serviceable and. durable in operation aerial ships of the nature set forth.

With these ends in view the invention consists in the novel combination, arrangement and adaptation of parts, all as more fully hereinafter explained, shown in the accompanying drawings, and then specifically set out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, one mode of carrying out the invention, Figure 1 shows an inverted plan view of the improved aerial ship, Fig. '2 shows a side elevation oi the improved aerial shi the chamber in the lower portion of the bal oon body, which houses the paddle wheel as Well as the car, means being represented in a vertical sectional view, Fig. 3 shows a cross sectional view through the improved aerial ship illustrating the driving means, and Fig. 4 shows, on a larger scale, a detail of construction.

The aerial ship employs a balloon body made up by two hollow chambers 1 and 3, which are destined for the reception of a charge of hydrogcn---or other suitable The forward chamber 1 is provided at its front with a. conical or pointed end 2, so that the smallest; possible resistance will he offered to the air. The rear chamber 3 of" the balloon body is considerably longer than the fore part 1, but the fore part 1 is much wider in cross section and extends lower down than the rear part 3. Both chambers 1 and 3 of the balloon body have the szime which carries the driving or approximately the same cubical capacity. The construction and Sllilpt of the balloon body not forming part. oi my invention. i wish to point out that modifi ations may be carried out in that respect.

In the lower portion of tl f halhion body described is provided a spa -o or clmnibvr 4 closed on top and at the sides, but open towards the bottom. within which the driving means ar to be located.

For driving the aerial ship. l employ a pair of paddle wheels T. k" of imown con struction fitted with paddle sails: a and housed in the space 4. Fiaid Wheels 7, i are keyed on a shaft 9 that is roiatalil joun naled in proper bearings carried in the space i. The shaft 9 driven by the intermediary of known transmission means from. anv suitable source of motive power. preter' ab y an internal combustion. engine if car ried by and fittingl v mounted in the car 11.

The sail wheels T consist each of two cross frames secured in coinciding positions on the shaft 9. At the external ends 12 oi i the corresponding arms of the whet-l frames l are pivotally supported miles l3 whirl: carry 1 the frames l-t holding th sails 8 more or less trusioiual.

The driving incairare adapted to impart a planetary motion to th pad e sal in re gard to the shaft that ito 3). while being rotated around the roimnoo of? f; the sails simultaneous y r volve around the axes 13. for the purpose of holding them rai (linlly directed only in their lowermost post tic-n as is already lCl'lQTfll in (,Ullllf'fCllOll with aerial ships. The planetary motion of the sails Barountl tin pi l3 attained in the following way.

V ()n the extension 15. of each of the axles 'lii keyed a sprocket wheel 16. A chain it connects each s )roehct wheel .6 ith a stationary sprocket wheel in. said stationary spro ket Wheels 18 being advantageowly upported in the brackets which journal the drive shaft Obviously l the sprocket whe lill and ii coi esponii in number. it being natu ally irrelevant whether four separete and stationary sprocket wheels 18 or only one stati nary Wheel 1? having i four-sproch -t rims are provided 3 and down The wheels 16 have double the number of I sprockets in comparison with the sprockets of the wheels 18, the 'ratio of 2: 1 thus offered insuring that in every revolution of the shaft 4 9, the sails 8 are rotated in an angle of 180", as is clearlv visible by the positions of thevarious sails 8 illustrated in Fig. 1 and as will be readily understood without further description.

The present invention vfurther relates to an improved steering arran ement 1n connection with aerial ships. he terminal surface 19 (see Fi 3) of the balloon body 3 is drawn in, pro ucing thereby a corneal or pyramid-shaped cavity. At the apex of the pyramid cavity is a semi-sphere socket 20 which affords a bearing for the conically pointed end 21 of a prismatic steering body 22. This steering body 22 is advantageously hollow and fitted to receive a gas charge. It terminates at the rear also 1n a conically shaped end 23, in order to avoid the creation of a vacuum when the aerial ship is speedily propelled.

At the front portion of each of the four surfaces bordering the prismatic steering body 22, I attach a wire or rope. These four steering wires 24, 24, 25, 25 or ropes run to the car 11, being guided by suitabl joun naled pulleys 26 in such a mgnner t at the prismaticrsteering member 22 may be turned inits universal joint socket 20 in horizontal as well as in vertical directions. It ap ears advisable to run the topmost steering wire 25 along the upper surface of the balloon body at the junction between the two chambers 1 and 3 through a tube 5 suitably provided whereupon it reaches the car 11.' The ends of the two steering wires 24, 24 enabling the movement of the steering rudder 22 in horizontal directions as well as the ends of the two steerin wires 85, 25-enabling the movement of t ia'steeringunember in vertical directions are connected together. The two endless straps thus formed are carried/over and guided-by pulle s 27, 28 in the car, being tensioned or held taut in any convenient manner. Cranks 29, 30 enable the pulleys 27, 28 respectively to be rotated, thereby causing the steering wires 24 or 25 to be movedand the steering rudder 22 to be turned upwards or downwards or laterall to right or left, according to whether the pulley 28 or 27 has been rotated be our 11 assumes, preferably, the shape of a small boat, terminating at both ends in wedges, to offer the smallest possible resistance to the air.

The source of motive ower may be chosen as required by the pr n pircumstances. It a pe'ars however that sit er an internal com ustion engine or an electro mo or.

driven from a suitable storagl" battery, 18

best adapted for the purpose. The power transmission from the motor 10 to the shaft 9 is effected by a chain or belt gearing 31 or by a cogged wheel gearing as may be re uired. q The aerial ship hereinbefore described is fitted in the car with. the customary aeronautical instruments, with the appliances facilitating the landing, with alimentazy supplies and with other accessories providing comfort to the crew. If employed in war time for military purposes, it is stored with projectiles and with the means for projectn them downwards on the enemy.

%he aerial ship so far as itconcerns the balloon body is constructed of balloon silk stretched over suitable frames or it maybe composed of aluminium receptacles subdivided into a plurality each of which is filled Should the external shell of the ship be mjured, the last mentioned cellular construction of the aerial ship prevents fatal accldents by securing the gas charge of the unhurt cells or chambers against escape and enabling a safe landing w en necessa I do not desire to be understood as llmitof cells orchambers, with a gas charger,

ing myself to the detail construction and ar raugement of parts as herein shown and described, as it is manifest that variations and modifications therein may be resorted my invention to fication as properly falls within the scope without deparb. e of my invenof my invention and the terms of the following claims.

What I do claim as minvention, and desire to secure by Letters atent, is: I 1. An improved aerial shi com rising,in combination, a two-part ba loon ody providing at the drawn in middle space or chamber open towards t e bottom but closed on top and at the sides; means for driving the aerial ship, consisting of a paddle wheel whose sailing paddles perform a planetary motion during the rotation of the paddle wheel, housed in the aforesaid space or chamber and ada ted to protrude therefrom at the lower and so as to engage rnd act on the outer atmosphere; :1. car car ried by the balloon body; a source'of motive powet arranged in the car; means of transmitting the power from the motor tothe driving organs; means at the tail end of the balloon body for steering the aerial ship consisting of a gasholdin prismatic, body movable in, horizontal an vertical directions; and means in the car for actuatin the steering or an, substantially asdescribed and shown an fopthe purposesse; forth.

ortion a r 2. An improved aerial ship of the naturv set fortln having the lmllqon body lll'fiflllfil l wnh a nrmnmln-nlly drawn 1n tau! end: a

gas-holding prisnmtiu steering mcmhcr engaging the vuvily at the tail eml ml thehul- 'loon holly \viih its ('onk'al front portion and steering member, substantially as described 10 and h0wn and for the purpose wt forth.

In Hm-3s whereof I have hereunto signal my name thi:-- l-l-th (lay of June 1907, in the presctnu of two subscribin witnessus.

FRANZ EOLLI'IORN.

Witnesses ERNEST IL L. MIJMMENHOFF, ()q'ro W. HELLMmcn. 

